Flight stability Q

[Ian]

If a rocket is Stable, I get it.
If a rocket is Unstable, I sort of get it
If a rocket is Over-stable, what does that mean?

 

[roadkill]

It means that you gonna
have a long walk to retrieve it...


If a rocket is overstable, it will usually
cause severe weathercocking into
the wind (or the lightest breeze), a
long and wide trajectory arc, low altitude apogee,
high speed deployment and possible lawndarting
or zippering...

Easy fix is either lighten the noseweight or install small
canard fins to move Cp forward and lessen the margin of stability.

 

[denverdoc]

looks like sue got here first:

simple--an over stable rocket is one that has more stability than required to fly in a straight line. Nothing wrong with it and many kits are designed that way. The drawback is that you lose altitude due to the excess drag caused by larger than needed fins, and the rocket tends to fly into the wind to a greater extent. This can be both good and bad, sue pointed out the bad, the good is that if you get it just right, the rocket might drift back and drop down at your feet.

Right
John S